Preparatory Programs

Preparatory programs

The College offers excellent preparation for graduate, professional study in a number of disciplines. Students who are planning to attend graduate professional schools select an undergraduate major that enables them to meet the admission requirements of the program and work carefully to meet specific course requirements and grade point averages required for consideration for admission.

Pre-Medical and Pre-Health Professions Advising

Students seeking admission to a health professional program often complete a major in the sciences and are advised by science faculty with experience working with students who plan to attend medical, pharmacy, dental, veterinary, optometry, podiatry, or chiropractic school at institutions other than the College.

Students seeking admission to one of the College's graduate health professional programs in athletic training, exercise physiology, health information management, health informatics, nursing, occupational therapy, or physical therapy physician assistant studies or social work should work closely with advisers to ensure that they meet undergraduate degree requirements as well as specific program prerequisites.

Pre-Law Advising

Students seeking admission to law school may major in any one of a number of academic disciplines. These students will participate and assist with an active pre-law program and with a student-governed Pre-Law Society. The Pre-Law Society, under the guidance of its faculty adviser, will mentor and guide pre-law students through all steps of the law school application process. The Pre-Law Society also sponsors workshops and speakers, as well as other opportunities to explore and examine the legal profession.

Other Pre-Professional Advising

Students seeking admission to other professional programs in disciplines such as library science are well served by members of the faculty who have the expertise to guide them in selecting majors and activities that support their admission to these programs.

Pre-Library

Modern librarianship provides a window into the history of our culture. There are four major areas of librarianship, each of which requires slightly different undergraduate preparation. The first area is in the K-12 school system. (Please refer to the Educational Media and Technology (EDM) program for more details.) The other three areas of librarianship are public libraries, academic libraries, and special libraries, such as those associated with hospitals, corporations and law offices. These all require a master's degree from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited graduate school. An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 and high scores on the GRE will best position the student for admission into graduate school. To prepare for graduate school, the student should complete a bachelor's degree with a regular academic major. It is recommended that the undergraduate coursework include some courses from the EDM Program as well as a diverse background of coursework in English, history, foreign languages, science, management, and computer applications and programming. Majoring in areas such as the health or natural sciences allows for possibilities in special libraries. Some graduate library and information sciences programs offer a dual degree combining a Master of Library Sciences with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Science with history or education, or Juris Doctor. Students interested in pre-library should consult with an adviser about how pre-library can combine their interests with an academic plan best suited for their professional goals.